2000
#14,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,935
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Blumer
A German occupational surname referring to a flower grower or gardener, derived from the Middle High German "bluome".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,054 Americans carry the last name Blumer. That puts it at #15,699 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,872 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Blumer surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 166,872
Census rank
#15,699
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,791 bearers of the surname Blumer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15699th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Blumer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Blumer
The surname Blumer is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. The name is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
The name Blumer is derived from the Old German word "bluomo," which means "flower" or "blossom." It is likely that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who lived near a flowering meadow or worked with flowers in some capacity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Blumer can be found in the Codex Laureshamensis, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 9th century. This document mentions a person named "Blumer" in the context of land ownership and transactions.
In the 13th century, the name Blumer appeared in various records and documents from the city of Augsburg, a prominent trading center in southern Germany. Notable individuals from this time period include Johannes Blumer, a merchant and member of the city council (born circa 1250).
During the Renaissance period, the Blumer family gained prominence in the city of Nuremberg. Hans Blumer (1480-1548) was a renowned goldsmith and sculptor, known for his intricate metalwork and contributions to the city's artistic heritage.
As the name spread throughout Germany, it also found its way into other regions and countries. In the 16th century, a branch of the Blumer family settled in the Swiss canton of Zurich, where they became influential in local governance and trade. One notable figure was Jakob Blumer (1522-1592), a merchant and city councillor in Zurich.
In the 19th century, the Blumer name gained further recognition with the birth of Georg Blumer (1805-1875), a renowned Swiss botanist and naturalist. His contributions to the study of plant life and his extensive collection of botanical specimens earned him international acclaim.
Another notable individual bearing the Blumer surname was Herbert Blumer (1900-1987), an American sociologist and philosopher. He was a prominent figure in the field of symbolic interactionism and served as a professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
While the surname Blumer originated in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, South America, and Australia, as individuals migrated and settled in new lands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Blumer
Among Census respondents with the surname Blumer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Blumer bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Blumer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 1,646
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 61
- Two or more races3.0% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 20
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Blumer
Blumer appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,023
+88 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 469 places
2020
#15,699
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,791
-232 bearers (-11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 1,004 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,226 | 1,935 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,695 | 2,023 | 0.69 | +88 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 469 places |
| 2020 | #15,699 | 1,791 | 0.60 | -232 bearers (-11.5%) | Down 1,004 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Blumer surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,695 | #15,699 | -6.8% |
| Count | 2,023 | 1,791 | -11.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.60 | -13.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Blumer bearers went from 2,023 to 1,791 (-11.5% change). The surname moved down 1,004 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,695 to #15,699.
FAQ
Blumer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Blumer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,054 living Americans carry the surname Blumer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,872 residents.
How common is Blumer?
Blumer ranks #15,699 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,791 people with the surname Blumer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,054), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Blumer.
Has Blumer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Blumer went from 2,023 recorded bearers to 1,791. That is a decrease of 232 (-11.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,695 to #15,699.
What does the Census say about the background of Blumer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Blumer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Blumer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (1,646 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Blumer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (3.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Blumer (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Blumer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a flower grower or gardener, derived from the Middle High German "bluome". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Blumer (0.60 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Blumer?
See how many people are called Blumer on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.